To the relief of her mother and doctors, Zuhal is putting on weight. But just three months ago the 18-month-old girl from eastern Laghman Province in Afghanistan weighed only five kilos, less than half the average for a child of her age.

In a country where girls are rarely allowed to attend school, WFP's food serves as a powerful incentive for male family members to send the women - mothers and adolescent girls - of their family to vocational skills and literacy classes.

With decades of conflict and a harsh geographical terrain, unemployment is high in Afghanistan. This is tough for families especially during the "lean season," the months before harvest time when food stocks and employment opportunities often dwindle to nothing.

A biscuit factory shipped from Italy in seven containers and assembled in Afghanistan is now churning out nutrient-rich cookies for victims of humanitarian emergencies. At the same time, it is giving local farmers, millers and businessmen a chance of a brighter economic future.

WFP has been providing food assistance to vulnerable women, especially widows and female school drop-outs, to encourage them to take part in vocational training courses that will teach them income-generating skills such as embroidery, handicrafts and making bed rolls for children.